Using off-the-shelf consumer batteries, scientists stimulated insulin release from engineered human cells implanted in diabetic mice and restored the rodents' normal blood sugar levels.
The gene activity of"designer" human cells can be remotely toggled on and off with electric currents, a new study in mice shows.
Wearable devices are already in vogue and can monitor pulse, blood pressure, blood sugar levels and more. But currently, no such tech can be used to control gene expression.To move this idea from science fiction into the real world, Martin Fussenegger, a professor of biotechnology and bioengineering at ETH Zurich and the University of Basel, and his colleagues designed an interface called DC-actuated regulation technology . It's powered by DC from standard 1.5-volt AA or AAA batteries.
The sensor, which was engineered to work as a transcription factor — a protein that latches onto DNA to turn a gene"on" or"off" — then bound to a designated spot on the cell's DNA and, in turn, activated the gene of interest, the insulin gene. The human cells were genetically engineered to express, or activate the gene of interest only if the ROS levels produced by the electrical current were high enough, and as the ROS dissipate, the gene switches"off.
The Fussenegger lab previously designed an electrogenetic device that used alternating current at high voltage to activate cells, but it required too much power to be suitable for wearables. The new study shows that electronic control of gene expression doesn't need a lot of power or fancy devices, Bentley said."That’s a significant advance."
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